As I began to write this, I’m on the AmaKristina on the Rhine. It is our first trip on this river ship, but it already feels like home—we have sailed on 16 Europe river cruises and this is our 15th cruise with AmaWaterways (we are leading a small group on this same route this summer on the AmaSerna—there is still limited space available if you would like to join us—give me a call).

The AmaKristina in port at Basel, Switzerland

Much has changed since 2009 in river cruising—when we first started river cruising in Europe—and almost all is for the better.

This was a themed cruise—Christmas Markets along the Rhine. It is the most festive season in Europe and that is saying a lot, since Europeans walk and enjoy the public spaces their cities almost every day of their lives. It seems most everyone living near these markets has visited these special stalls and enjoyed shopping, and eating Christmas delights, and imbibing in the hot Glühwein.

Our Waiter Catilan with the Schrader’s—a Christmas Greeting Created by Anne!—Are we festive enough?

So, I thought I’d write about AmaWaterways and the Rhine River—one of the two most popular routes for river cruisers in Europe.

A Ship Tour

The AmaKristina has won at least 4 major travel awards as the best Europe river cruise ship in the last 2 years: 2017 Porthole Cruise Reader’s Choice Award; 2018 Travel Age West Best New Rivership; 2018 Travvy Award Best River Cruise Ship; and two 2018 Magellan Awards for Luxury Ship Design. It is also the highest rated ship by the Berlitz River Cruising in Europe & the USA—the guide we feel is the most objective ratings of river cruise ships and since the author, Douglas Ward, has rated over 300+ river cruise ships, it is the most comprehensive river cruise ship ratings that are available today.

Let’s tour this outstanding rivership together, from these photos (first some of the shared areas of the AmaKristina):

Lounge of the AmaKristina

Library on the AmaKristina

At the front of the Main Dining Room, there are two 10 person dining rooms that are called the Wine Rooms, since they store the many bottles of wine aboard the AmaKristina

Exercise Area

Our Stateroom

Our stateroom twin balcony cabin was always clean and efficient. I find the cabins well designed, (ours was 235 sq. feet) luxurious, and perfectly adequate. Although some would prefer a larger cabin, the constraints of the river lock system have limited cabin size on most river cruise ships. Don’t despair—larger cabins are coming to AmaWaterways in 2019 with the AmaMagna (a double wide river cruise ship and most balcony cabins on the upper 2 decks are over 335 sq. feet)—I have written a blog about the two large river cruise ships on the Danube.

Twin Balcony Stateroom Cabin 307

The Route

Our cruise started in Basel, Switzerland and ended in Amsterdam, Netherlands. We have sailed this direction downstream twice. The amazing scenery has not changed much—the Rhine River Gorge and its’ over 30 castles is probably the best stretch of sights in all of Europe on any European River. The gorge is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so there are no bridges to interrupt the views. On the Rhine River Gorge, with castles dotting almost every hill, and it is like turning back the hands of time to the age of land barons, defending their turf and collecting tolls for passage.

Pfalzgrafenstein toll castle (foreground) and Gutenfels Castle 110 meters above the town of Kaub (taken on an earlier AmaWaterways cruise)

But I managed to get ahead of myself—this cruise will port in 4 different countries. We started in Basel and there were at least 3 Christmas Markets in Basel that were easily accessible to the guests on our sailing.

Anne took this picture in Basel, Switzerland—is a huge replica of a Christmas Candle Pyramid—a traditional decoration that originated in Germany

Then we were off to France—Strasbourg and Riquewihr were sightseeing options.

Riquewihr, France building decorated for Christmas

In Germany, Speyer, Rüdesheim, Mannheim, sailing the Rhine River Gorge and Cologne. We ended in Amsterdam.

Speyer Germany Christmas Markets. In the foreground is a statue of a pilgrim on the way to Santiago de Compostela, with the Cathedral in the background. Speyer was an important stop on this pilgrimage route.

Entrance to the Cologne Christmas Market—this is the Elf’s Market—my favorite in Cologne.

All were great stops.

What is New Onboard?

While much remains the same, there are two great new features on AmaWaterways in 2018 that will continue to 2019. They are the new wellness program and the Sip ‘n’ Sail cocktail hour just before dinner. Both are real hits in our opinion.

While most who know me well, would say my favorite change is the new included Sip ‘n’ Sail free cocktail hour, but, I was most impressed with the wellness program (I got to learn first-hand about this program on our summer cruise on the AmaCerto). The wellness program was on 6 ships for the 2018 season and was not on the AmaKristina during our Christmas voyage, but I understand it will be on all the AmaWaterways river cruise vessels for 2019.

The wellness person will conduct stretching classes, yoga, core strengthening classes and lead bike rides. Based on what I saw this summer, what impressed me most that it was all age appropriate, scientifically sound, and the response on board the 6 roll out vessels has been very good. As a former nationally certified physical fitness instructor in college and for sports teams, it was interesting to see how well the programs were conducted and how the cruisers enjoyed adding a little fitness to their daily routine last summer.

Another big change was the Sip ‘n’ Sail program. Free (included) drinks prior to dinner is a great idea and well received by guests on both our 2018 cruises. Wine, beer and a good selection of well drinks—even martinis are included. Great improvement—glad it is being continued in 2019!

What remains the Same?

Anne always reminds me that consistency is the key to great travel. On AmaWaterways, the good things remain the same or are slightly better than past cruises.

Food and service is excellent—always well planned meals.

Breakfast and lunch are buffet style with options to order off the menu. Here is a sample lunch menu (quite an impressive selection in my opinion):

AmaKristina Lunch Menu

There is even a tea time at 4 PM. Here is a sample of the wonderful items—they bake everything on board—it is amazingly good!

Tea Time in the Lounge—awesome baked goods!

AmaKristina Dining Room with our Bar Waitress Misha, the Schrader’s (left) and the Thomas’s (right) at table 21 after an awesome meal

Every evening on the dinner menu (a 4 course affair of an appetizer, a soup course, a main course and dessert) there are 3 Entrée’s choices—usually a meat dish, a fish dish and a vegetarian option.—all are excellent!

My wonderful chicken breast main course

Anne’s Dessert at the Captain’s Table

There is an Always Available Menu that features a steak, a grilled chicken breast, and a vegetarian or pasta option. The meal features a white and red wine from the region you are sailing thru and they change daily (not every river cruise lines changes wines every day or offers included wine and beer). One item of note—portions are slightly smaller and for the baby boomers of our generation, this is a smart move. You can always have more food, but even for big eaters like me, the portions were properly sized.

I do have to point out that on the Always Available Menu, the steak was large, and very tasty—notable by all in our group as better than they had remembered on past cruises.

One of the Always Available Option for Dinner—we all raved about the quality of the steak!

Each year, the included (yes, no extra charge) Chef’s Table menu changes. I liked the meal this year, and the wonderful view from the stern of our river ship. It is the little extras that make the difference—the Chef’s Table remains a hit.

Chef’s Table on the AmaKristina

Fish and shellfish course Chef’s Table

Main Course Chef’s Table

Denise Thomas celebrates her birthday with a special cake in the Chef’s Table

Bar service is outstanding and the wines were particularly good with meals. It still amazes me how generous the pours are by the bar staff—the idea is to give you enough and not too much.

I can’t say enough about the crew—they work 18 hour days, and every detail is about making your vacation better.

3 great waiters who took great care of us!

Alex (assistant head waiter) and his Girlfriend crew member Alexandra (reception) with a Christmas Greeting created by Anne

Our Cruise Experience

We were traveling with our good friends the Thomas clan (better known as Mark and Denise, but both do have significant Scottish heritage)

Denise & Mark Thomas (left) with the Schrader’s on the AmaKristina 2018 in our Scottish formal ware in the reception area just prior to the Captain’s Dinner.

They love food, wine (Mark is a trained Sommelier), Europe, and Christmas Markets.

Somehow between us, we hauled home about 30 different Glühwein decorative mugs (not an easy task keeping them from getting broken, not to mention the packing space required in our luggage—we bought a new suitcase!)

Denise and Mark Thomas at dinner on the AmaKristina

They plan to sail again with AmaWaterways. Not a real surprise to me—almost all who go on a river cruise we planned go again.

My Final Thoughts

When folks find out we have sailed this route before, they want to know why—wouldn’t it be boring?

Our response —it never is! You can’t see it all on the first trip and when you consider the different seasons, it changes. Spring brings new life, summer is full of flowers and green trees, autumn is ablaze with color and Christmas is a festival not to be missed.

These are wonderful places to visit and we hope one day you will let us plan a trip to one or all of these great places.

When you are spending your hard earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 46 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications: